DIARIES OF
Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore.
CHAPTER I.
1847.
SIR MOSES PRESENTED TO THE QUEEN ON BEING MADE A BARONET—UKASE OF THE CZAR—THE AFFAIR OF DEIR-EL-KAMAR—SIR MOSES' INTERVIEWS WITH LOUIS-PHILIPPE, M. GUIZOT, AND LORD NORMANBY—SATISFACTORY MEASURES OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT.
THE Diary of the year 1847 continues to refer to gratifying events. Sir Moses orders medical supplies at the Apothecaries' Hall for his dispensary at Jerusalem, is presented to her Majesty on his being created a baronet, and on March 29th he receives a letter from the representatives of the Hebrew community in Kowno, conveying to him the gratifying intelligence that the Emperor of Russia had issued a Ukase, dated 10th December 1846, permitting the Jews to remain in that town free from molestation. But on May the 2nd I find an entry which must have occasioned him much pain, as it refers to an accusation brought against his brethren at Deir-el-Kámár. Fortunately he was in possession of all the papers relative to the subject, and could at once refute the charge in a letter to the Times, of which the following is a copy—
"Sir,—My attention has been directed to a paragraph which appeared in yesterday's Times, being an extract from the Union Monarchique, Paris paper, which extract purports to contain a narrative of the abduction and murder by the Jews of Deir-el-Kámár, near Beyrout, of a Christian child; that, after the lapse of three days, the corpse had been discovered in a field, that the hands, feet, and side of the child had been pierced, and that it had also been bled in the neck. Happily, I am in possession of intelligence of the 5th and 6th of April from a correspondent at Beyrout, in whose veracity I have every reason to confide, and am thus enabled to furnish a correct statement of the circumstances.
"It appears that on the day preceding Palm Sunday several Christian boys joined some religious procession, agreeably to the custom of the place. In the dusk of the evening one of the children, about the age of four years, having strayed from the others, lost its way among the gardens and vineyards. On the following day, when it became known that the child was missing, the fanatic populace attributed its disappearance to the Jews; their Synagogue and houses were tumultuously searched, but, of course, without success; and subsequently the child was found in a vineyard, exhausted by cold, hunger, and fatigue, from the effects of which it soon afterwards expired. This, however, did not silence the clamour of the ignorant multitude, and eventually the affair was referred to the Governor-General. The accused persons had been placed in confinement, but on their brethren undertaking for their appearance in due course, the Governor gave instructions for their immediate liberation, and he has directed an investigation before the judicial tribunal.
"I am happy to say that Colonel Rose, Her Majesty's Consul-General at Beyrout, kindly interfered on the occasion, and that, thanks to his humane intervention and the good sense of the Governor of the district, my poor brethren were protected against the frantic violence of their accusers.
"I had hoped, Sir, that even in the East the absurd, yet cruel, calumnies urged against our faith had ceased to obtain credence; but where ignorance and superstition prevail to so great an extent, it is more a subject for sorrow than surprise to find the occasional resuscitation of the bigotry of a bygone age; but, Sir, I cannot refrain from expressing my deep regret that this melancholy event should have been recorded so inaccurately and in so adverse a spirit by the journal in question.
"I am anxious to obviate its mischievous tendency by an authentic version of the circumstances, and I entertain no doubt, though fully conscious of the value of the space I seek to occupy, that you will kindly admit this letter into your columns, as you will thereby give at least an equal circulation to the true, as you have unfortunately given to the erroneous, statement; though I believe that even without contradiction few would attach any credence to the imputation thus unhappily revived.—I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient humble servant,
"Moses Montefiore."
"Grosvenor Gate, Park Lane, May 2."
Returning to the Diary, we read that on 27th May he and Lady Montefiore had a gracious reception at the Queen's Drawing Room; and on the 28th, they received an invitation from the Lord Chamberlain by command of the Queen to Her Majesty's Ball on Friday, 11th of June, an honour, however, of which they were unable to avail themselves owing to its being Sabbath.
June 20th.—An accusation having been brought anew against the Jews in Damascus, Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore received numerous petitions from representatives of the Hebrew communities in Jerusalem, Beyrout, and Damascus, to intercede on their behalf with the French Government, the Christians in Syria being generally considered under the protection of France.